Releasable fluke anchor



FGb. l1, R E, E

I RELEASABLE FLUKE ANCHOR Filed Oct. 28, 1946 INVENTOR. Roy .EJVewbyPatented Feb. ll, 1947 NKTED STATES 2 Claims.

This invention relates to anchors and it is the primary object of theinvention to provide a means for releasing the fluke or flukes of theanchor if per chance they should become snagged or fouled on or undersome object, If often happens that anchors, particularly on lighterboats, will become snagged or iouled on an object which renders it verydiificult to raise the anchor.

The present invention contemplates the provision of a means for holdingthe fluke in its anchoring position against the pull of the boatoccasioned by the drift of the current or wind, but in which the anchormay be released in the event it should become snagged or fouled on anyobject.

A further object of the invention is to produce a practical device andone Which will be exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it isdesigned.

These objects are accomplished by means of such structure and relativearrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the followingspecification and claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the improved anchor.

Figure 2 is an end elevation, partly in section, showing the anchor withthe fluke in its normal anchoring position.

Figure 3 is a. similar View to that of Fig. 2 showing the position thefluke assumes when the releasing mechanism is called into play.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a modified form ofattaching the releasing means to the anchor.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on thedrawing, the numeral l designates a hollow shank on the bottom of whichis transversely disposed a bearing sleeve 2. 3 are the flukes which areprovided with a bearing pin 4 journaled in the sleeve 2. The shank l isprovided with an orifice in a top bushing 5 and a bottom orifice 5. Thepin 4 is provided with a semi-circular slot 1 which is normally inregister with the bottom orifice 6 when the fiukes 3 are in their normalanchoring position.

8 is a pull rod normally projecting through the bushing 5 and orifice 0and into the slot 1 and held in that position by means of a spring 0which is interposed between a cross pin. it on the rod and the top ofthe hollow shank The rod 8 has an eye H at its upper end for connectionwith any suitable cable 82 through the medium of which the anchor isnormally raised and lowered.

When the anchor is in normal use the flukes 3 are held at the properangle to the shank l for the reason that the lower end of the rod 8engages in pin 4 at one end or the other of the slot '1; the compressionof spring 9 urging the rod in a direction to cause such engagement.Under ordinary tension on cable I2, by the pull of the boat, the rod 8does not retract from the pin 4, against the compression of spring 9,for the reason that such pin, under the rotative influence of thefiukes, tends to turn but cannot do so as it is locked against the lowerend of the rod. Consequently the rod is urged laterally in a directionto effectively bind the same in the bushing 5 and bottom orifice 6. Whenthe anchor is to be raised and a pull on the cable l2 indicates that theflukes 3 are snagged on some object, the cable i2 is first released orslacked sufficient to permit of the shank I swinging in one direction orthe other to free the engagement between the lower end of the rod 8 andthe pin 4, which in turn releases the hind of said rod 8 in the bushing5 and bottom orifice E. Thereafter a quick jerk on the cable 12 freesthe rod 8 from the pin 4, against the compression of spring 9. With thelower end of the rod so disengaging from the slot 1, the pin 4 is freeto rotate. Then when the pull on the cable I2 is continued the ensuinpressure of the flukes 3 on the object 13 will cause the pin c torevolve and turn the fluke from the anchoring position shown in Fig. 2to the position shown in Fig. 3 where it will be in line with the pullon the cable l2 and rod 8 and thus allow the entire anchor assembly tobe withdrawn from contact with the object It.

In Fig. 4 there is shown a slight modification of the invention for useon heavier types of anchors from that shown in the other figures. Inthis form the solid shank M is connected directly with the hollow sleeveI5 and the assembly 15 embodying the invention described above is formedto one side of this rigid shank I i. Thus a heavier cable may beconnected to the shank Hi and a lighter cable Il may be connected to thelift rod in order to efiect a release of the turnable journal pin E8,the operation being otherwise the same as previously described.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that there hasbeen produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of theinvention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferredconstruction of the device, still in practice such deviations from suchdetail may be resorted to as do not form a departure 3 from the spiritof the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention the following is claimed as new anduseful and upon which Letters Patent is desired:

1. An anchor comprising a tubular shank, a transverse bearing sleeve atthe lower end of the shank, a fluke, a bearing pin on the flukejournaled in the sleeve, the pin being provided with a substantiallysemi-circular slot opening through the side thereof transversely of itslon-V gltudinal axis, a pair of alined orifice in the ends of the shank,the slot in the bearing pin being normally in register with the lowerorifice when the fluke is in operative position, a pull rod normallyprojecting through the orifices and into the slot, and yieldable meansassociated with the rod to permit its withdrawal from the slot.

2. A structure as in claim 1 in which the yieldable means consists of across pin through the rod normally resting adjacent the bottom of thehollow shank, and a compression spring interposed between the pin andthe upper end of such 7 hollow shank.

ROY E. NEWBY.

